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United States Patent |
6,029,319
|
Challender
|
February 29, 2000
|
Garment clip recessed in eyeglasses temple
Abstract
A spring biased clip is provided for eyeglasses or eyewear to hold the
eyewear securely in a fabric pocket when not in use. The fabric engaging
end of the clip is normally held in a recess in the side of the temple
where it will not inadvertently snag items, and where it will be
inconspicuous. The fabric engaging end of the clip moves outward beyond
the surface of the temple when the opposite end of the clip is depressed
by a finger. In this position, the clip is easily slipped over the fabric
edge of a pocket without applying any force to the fabric. This enables
the clip to be provided with a strong spring for securely holding the
eyewear.
Inventors:
|
Challender; James R. (126 NW. 98th Ter., Plantation, FL 33324)
|
Appl. No.:
|
296352 |
Filed:
|
April 22, 1999 |
Current U.S. Class: |
24/3.12; 24/3.11; 24/3.3 |
Intern'l Class: |
A44B 021/00 |
Field of Search: |
24/3.3,3.11,3.12,49.1
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1385009 | Jul., 1921 | Kopp et al. | 24/3.
|
1652972 | Dec., 1927 | Beck | 24/3.
|
2097371 | Oct., 1937 | Hon.
| |
2280304 | Apr., 1942 | Schauer | 24/3.
|
3038377 | Jun., 1962 | Maxson | 24/3.
|
4754528 | Jul., 1988 | Lyons et al. | 24/3.
|
4771515 | Sep., 1988 | Guarro | 24/3.
|
4949432 | Aug., 1990 | Wisniewski | 24/3.
|
5216785 | Jun., 1993 | Graef | 24/49.
|
5235727 | Aug., 1993 | McCloskey | 24/3.
|
5351098 | Sep., 1994 | McDaniels | 351/112.
|
5414906 | May., 1995 | Kren | 24/3.
|
5491878 | Feb., 1996 | Janouschek | 24/3.
|
Primary Examiner: Sakran; Victor N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blum; Alvin S.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for securing eyewear to clothing of an eyewear user when said
eyewear is not in use, wherein said eyewear includes lenses, lenses frame,
and temples hingedly attached to said lenses frame, each temple having a
top surface, a bottom surface, and an outside lateral surface, and wherein
said clothing has a fabric edge, the apparatus comprising:
an elongate clip having a fabric-edge-engaging first end, and a second end;
a fulcrum means releasably affixed to the temple of said eyewear positioned
intermediate the first and second ends for causing the first and second
ends to move in opposite directions;
mounting means for movably mounting the clip on the lateral surface of one
of the temples so as to have two operating positions; a first position in
which the first end is disposed at a level that does not extend above the
lateral surface of the temple immediately adjacent the end so as to avoid
inadvertent catching on obstacles and for cosmetic unobtrusiveness; and a
second position in which the first end protrudes beyond the level of the
lateral surface of the temple immediately adjacent the end so as to
facilitate engagement of the fabric edge;
spring bias means for urging the clip to the first position when the
eyewear is being worn and for firmly gripping the fabric edge when the
eyewear is not in use; and
means for forcing the clip to the second position against the spring bias
by application of pressure by the user on the second end to facilitate
securing the eyewear to the clothing.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the fulcrum means
releasably affixed to the clip.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient transparent plastic material.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient plastic material.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient metal.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the clip is comprised of
titanium.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the clip is mounted in a
recess in the outside lateral surface of the temple.
8. Apparatus for securing eyewear to clothing of an eyewear user when said
eyewear is not in use, wherein said eyewear includes lenses, lenses frame,
and temples hingedly attached to said lenses frame, each temple having a
top surface, a bottom surface, and an outside lateral surface, and wherein
said clothing has a fabric edge, the apparatus comprising:
a recess in the outside lateral surface of one of the temples, the recess
being without sides;
an elongate clip having a fabric-edge-engaging first end, and a second end;
a fulcrum means positioned intermediate the first and second ends for
causing the first and second ends to move in opposite directions;
mounting means for movably mounting the clip in the recess on one of the
temples so as to have two operating positions, a first position in which
the first end is disposed at a level that does not extend above the
lateral surface of the temple immediately adjacent the end so as to avoid
inadvertent catching on obstacles and for cosmetic unobtrusiveness, and a
second position in which the first end protrudes beyond the level of the
lateral surface of the temple immediately adjacent the end so as to
facilitate engagement of the fabric edge;
spring bias means for urging the clip to the first position when the
eyewear is being worn and for firmly gripping the fabric edge when the
eyewear is not in use; and
means for forcing the clip to the second position against the spring bias
by application of pressure by the user on the second end to facilitate
securing the eyewear to the clothing.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the fulcrum means is
affixed to the temple.
10. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the fulcrum means is
affixed to the clip.
11. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient transparent plastic material.
12. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient plastic material.
13. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the clip is comprised of a
resilient metal.
14. The apparatus according to claim 8, in which the clip is comprised of
titanium.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to means for securely holding eyeglasses on a person
when they are not being used, and more particularly to a pocket clip
resiliently attached to a temple of an eyeglasses frame for releaseably
engaging the edge of a garment, such as a pocket, when not in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spring clips permanently or removeably attached to temples of eyeglasses
frames are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,906 issued May 16, 1995 to Kren
reviews the literature. It discloses a mechanism attachable to a temple
that protrudes outward therefrom. This presents cosmetic problems, as well
as something that can catch on hair or other obstacles that might damage
the eyeglasses or injure the wearer. Resilient pocket clips, such as found
on pens, have a garment engaging tip end that protrudes from the plane of
the pen surface enough to catch on the garment edge. It has an inwardly
directed bevel so that the garment edge forces the clip open against the
spring bias. The degree of spring bias is a compromise between sufficient
strength to hold securely, and weak enough to open when forced against a
flimsy garment. Because a spring clip on an eyeglasses, or eyewear frame
must hold a considerable weight, and dropping the glasses may represent a
great loss of time and money, it must have considerable spring bias. For
cosmetic and safety reasons, the clip should not extend beyond the plane
of the temple surface when not engaging the garment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a garment clip
means for a temple that has sufficient spring bias to securely hold the
eyewear. It is another object to provide a clip that is visually
unobtrusive. It is yet another object that the clip not extend outwardly
from the plane of the temple surface when the clip is not in use. It is
yet another object that the clip slip readily over the edge of even a very
flimsy garment despite having a strong spring bias.
The clip of the invention is recessed below the plane of the surface of the
temple, and the free end of the clip is held recessed by spring bias. An
end opposite the free end, that may also be recessed, is arranged to be
depressed by the user to cause the free end to extend beyond the plane of
the temple surface so that it can easily engage a garment, such as the
upper edge of a pocket. Because the clip is protruded by finger action of
the user against the spring bias, and not by forces on the garment edge,
the spring bias may be quite strong and yet permit engagement by flimsy
garments without force being applied to the garment during the process of
engagement.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will
become more apparent when the detailed description is studied in
conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate
like elements in the various drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eyewear frame with spring clip of the
invention recessed in the temple.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with clip closed.
FIG. 3 is a top view as in FIG. 2 with clip open.
FIG. 4 is a top view of another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now first to FIGS. 1-3, an eyewear 30 has a lens frame 28 holding
lenses 29 in a conventional structure, with temples 27 attached to the
frame by temple hinges 26. Each temple has a top surface 1, a bottom
surface 2, and a lateral outside surface 3 provided with a recess 17
without sides. Mounted within recess 17 is a clip 5 molded of a
transparent resilient plastic. The clip has a fabric engaging first end 6,
and a second end 7. A U shaped spring member 10 that may be molded
integral with the clip 5 is attached to the clip intermediate the ends,
and is also attached to the temple in the recess to serve as a fulcrum.
When the second end 7 is depressed by a finger, the first end 6 moves in
the opposite direction, as shown in FIG. 3. It extends beyond the plane of
temple surface 3 so that fabric edge 4 of a pocket may be easily slipped
between the temple and the clip without any force being applied to the
fabric. When the end 7 is released, spring bias forces end 6 tightly
against the fabric, thereby securely holding the eyewear in place.
When the clip is formed of a transparent material, it is virtually
invisible both when the glasses are in use or in the pocket.
Alternatively, the clip and/or the spring may be made of other materials,
such as titanium, for example.
Referring now to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the invention is shown in
which the fulcrum 8' is attached to the temple 27'. A resilient strip of
metal forms clip 5', which is attached to the temple 27' at its second end
7'. Corrugations 18 may be provided to facilitate inward movement of end
7' when depressed. The resilience of the metal clip serves as the spring
bias to hold end 6' tightly against the temple.
Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the invention is shown in
which a resilient titanium strip 5" serving as the clip has a bend 8"
which serves as a fulcrum. The clip 5" is mounted in recess 16 of temple
27" by rivets 19. When second end 7" is depressed, first end 6" is forced
out beyond the plane of lateral outside surface 3" of the temple to
readily engage a pocket without applying any force to the fabric to open
the clip. Spring bias keeps the end 6" below the plane of surface 3" when
the end 7" is not depressed so that in is unobtrusive and cannot
inadvertently snag items.
The above disclosed invention has a number of particular features which
should preferably be employed in combination, although each is useful
separately without departure from the scope of the invention. While I have
shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be
understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than herein
specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in form
and arrangement of parts and the specific manner of practicing the
invention may be made within the underlying idea or principles of the
invention.
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